Snowman Puppets by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Our latest challenge at Art Impressions is Stitches or Scallops.
We're challenging you to use your stitched or scalloped dies, stamps, hand-drawn stitches, embellishments or sewing machine to create something with stitching or scallops on it.

Today, I have two different snowman cards for you.

My first card is an arched, aqua card.

I used a stitched banner die, little stitches on the arch
and some hand-drawn stitches on his little scarf.

I used Liquid Applique on his hat to puff up the "fur." It looked pretty yellow, maybe because mine is so old, so I painted it with Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White Paint.

For my second card I used stitched slimline dies, a stitched banner, little stitches on the sides and a scalloped border. I love these little puppet dies.

Isn't this little guy the cutest? Look at that bright smile.
I used the hat band from the Santa Puppet to create a
hat band for this hat and a belt on the aqua card.

Stitches & Scallops Challenge #409 Week #1

Hello Ai fans!

Welcome to challenge #409,

STITCHES & SCALLOPS

We want to see your handmade projects using stitching or stitched or scalloped dies, stamps, embellishments etc. The stitching or scallops can be real (sewn), hand-drawn or cut with a die. You name it!

For our challenge, Janet is our Featured Artist and she created a lovely slimline card full of scalloped squares and stitching on her slimline panel.

Although Janet envisioned this card for another camping lover – perhaps as a thank you, an invitation to join her at a campground, or simply to celebrate the start of camping season, her inside sentiment makes this card perfect for so many occasions.

New home, retirement, graduation, new job and more!

So pretty!

We also have selected our winners for the Let Them Eat Cake challenge and you can view those after checking out Janet's beautiful card.

Hi everyone! I'm delighted to represent the newest Art Impressions challenge: "Stitches and Scallops!" In my card, I'm featuring AI Dies that deliver both these beautiful elements. But before we dive into the details, let's take a quick peek at the inside of this card.

For this project, I decided to challenge myself with a full-sized slimline card. These are typically 8 1/2" wide and 3 1/2" tall when folded. It's super easy to create a base from 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock: just cut the 11" side at 7", then score and fold on the 7"" side at the 3 1/2" mark. I crafted mine from light gray cardstock and set it aside.

This card features two of the fantastic new Freebie stamps. These are always a joy to work with, and the newest set includes adorable outdoor shelters, from a cozy chalet to a charming chicken coop! Three of these, including two different campers and a tent, are perfect for camping enthusiasts. My family loves camping and we've made so many friends through the years on our adventures. I envisioned this card for another camping lover – perhaps as a thank you, an invitation to join us at a campground, or simply to celebrate the start of camping season!

To begin, I stamped the two camper Freebie stamps and a sentiment from the 4932 - Pack Your Bags Set. After coloring them with Copic markers, I cut all three out with dies from the 6047 - Scalloped Squares Dies. I chose a square that fit the campers perfectly and an even smaller one to frame the sentiment. Aren't these campers just super cute?!

Next, I selected papers to complement my images. The vibrant navy, red, and cream floral background comes from the 6091 - Patriotic Cover Paper Pack. This 6" x 9" stack is ideal for larger projects like my slimline card. I then cut two slightly larger scallop squares from dark orange cardstock for the campers. For the sentiment, I cut two dark orange and one gray scalloped squares, each progressively larger.

Now for the stitches! I used the 5463 - Slimline Dies Set. These dies not only cut the perfect shape for the card but also imprint lovely faux stitches along the edges, adding a perfectly polished touch. By the way, you might spot my workspace in the photos – it's covered with Art Impressions' Gridline Placement Sheets! These are fantastic for protecting your surface and come with fun Ai images as a bonus – available at the Ai Store!

At this stage, I glued the campers onto their dark orange scalloped squares and did the same for the dark orange and gray sentiment layers. I backed the top sentiment square with foam tape and centered it on the stack. Next, I applied Art Glitter Glue to the back of the patterned mat and centered it on my gray card base. Then, I carefully arranged the three prepared elements (the two campers and the sentiment stack) on the mat. My goal was to center the sentiment with the two campers evenly spaced on either side. As a helpful tip, it's generally recommended that elements face inward on a card, so I positioned the campers so their fronts faced toward the central sentiment.

With the front complete, I moved to the inside. I had a strip of leftover navy paper from the mat, which I layered on top of a piece of leftover dark orange cardstock. After gluing them together, I cut this layered piece with another of the slimline dies, creating another beautiful stitched border. Before adhering it inside the card, I stamped another sentiment from the Pack Your Bags set. 

This completes the card and my post. I hope these ideas inspire you to use your favorite Art Impressions stamps, including the newest Freebies, for your own projects. For a chance to play along and possibly win free Ai stamps, please participate by uploading your card to our Stitches and Scallops challenge! We absolutely love seeing what our AI fans create – you never disappoint!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to find your favorite stamps, dies, papers, and accessories at the Ai Store – you'll always discover something that sparks your imagination. Happy crafting!

Janet - YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest 

Thank you Janet!

Now, let's see who won our last challenge.

For our Top Spot we selected #2 Beebeebabs

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Be sure to grab our badge to display on your social media too!

Our Lucky Random Winner was #7 Becca Yahrling

Please contact Leah at Feedback@artimpressions.com

to claim a free stamp set of your choice!!

Be sure to grab our badge to display on your social media too!

Congratulations to you both!

Be sure to enter your creation for the chance to win a free stamp set from Art Impressions. 

We award one Top Spot and one Lucky Random Winner, and each will win a free stamp set from Art Impressions.

✻ Please make a new card or handmade crafty creation. You can make any item you wish; this is not limited to cards! (unless specified)

✻ Limit two submissions per person.

 ✻Please include your first name and last initial on your submission. You may include your entire last name, but it's not necessary.

✻We love to comment on your entries, but keep in mind if you use a private group or a platform that you need to sign up for, we probably won't be able to.

✻ The Ai Challenge is open to everyone, international submissions are welcome!

✻ Include a link back to the Ai Blog or grab our button on the top right of our sidebar!

✻ Share the Ai love if you can, by clicking and commenting on your fellow crafters.

✻ Make sure to get your link up by the deadline to enter your creations.

✻ Good luck and happy stamping! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Birdie Betty-Ready for a Round! by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Are you in love with these new Ai People as much as I am??

You must be. They're so easy to love.

For my card today, I used the new 6080 – Birdie Betty.

I love some of these papers from the 6072 – Father’s Day Paper Pack for the sky and grass. These 6x6 paper packs are all so versatile. The sentiment was stamped on the center banner die from the 5463 – Slimline Dies Set and is actually from the new 6075 – Cruisin’ Carol. Betty's glasses and earrings are gold and they were done with a Signo Pigment Ink Gel Pen – Gold.

I didn't have the paper pack in time but check this out!!

There is a 12 pc. (6 designs) paper pack to coordinate with Betty.

How cool is that?

Copics used:

C6, N2, BG90, BG000, R81, E02, E43, E50, E87

PEACE Church and Ornament card by Reneé Matarese

Hello Ai fans!  

Today I'm sharing the second card that I made for our LEON Day challenge here on the blog. This time I've created a slimline card using multiple sets.

The church and the adorable little ornaments are from 5573 – Church and Ornament Set.
I stamped them all out on Canson XL Mix Media Paper Pad – 9×12 and then cut them out with my Brother Scan-n-Cut. Then I stamped the ornaments again on paper from 5853 – Christmas Magic Paper Pack. I fussy cut them out and adhered them to the ones printed on the white paper because I wanted a little border around them. The tiny bow I used on three of them is from 5574 – Door and Stockings Set.

The kraft border was cut from 5972 – BJ Decorative Margin Dies and the letters spelling out PEACE were made with 5910 – Large Letter Die Set. I cut them once with the DP and then once with the kraft paper to create a shadow and then I popped them up on dimensional foam to add some depth.

I drew in some lines on the church and windows to add some interest and then topped it off with some snow made from Bleed Proof White paint. The background paper with the crosses is from 6034 – Inspirational Easter Cover PP. The cover paper packs are perfect for these longer 5463 – Slimline Dies Set. Even the largest die in the set fits on this paper which is awesome!

We hope you'll all take this opportunity to get a head start on your Christmas cards or tags.

Copics used:

C0, N2, Y04, E43, E50, YG41, BG000, B34, B91

 

Armfuls Baby Cards by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

Our current challenge here on the blog is called ABC, 123. Use Letter or Number dies in some way on your project.

Today I've made a slimline trifold card.  When I first saw the new letter and number dies from Art Impressions, I instantly thought about children's blocks.

I used square dies along with the mini baby dies and slimline dies to create my trifold card.

I created a baby boy version and then I created a more neutral version because I have a coworker expecting twins and we don't know the gender/s yet.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to these letter and number dies. You can spell out anything you like with them. I hope you're inspired to join in our challenge. You could be the next winner of a free stamp set.

New Belly Band Bunny card by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

There are some fun new releases on the Art Impressions website.

Today I've used the brand new 5804 – Decorative Belly Bands.
There was a delay in shipping initially, so my card is a bit late for Valentine's Day.

This would be SO CUTE as an Easter card though. Just swap out the sentiment with one from one of your favorite Easter sets. If the pink paper isn't your thing, Art Impressions has lots of pretty Easter sets or basic pads that have other beautiful spring colors and patterns in them.

Ai Paper Pads

I love that Art Impressions is offering so many die sets now. They really compliment their adorable images and help create such a finished and special look to your cards and craft projects. I don't think that I could pick a favorite.

Bee Shakers by Reneé Matarese

 Hello Ai fans!

We're almost a week into our current I Like to Move It, Move It! challenge.

What ideas do YOU have for a card or project that has some sort of movement?

I chose to create two shaker cards.

I love bees and yellow and couldn't wait to make a shaker card duo using 5925 – Honey Bee Set.

For my first card, I turned my heart on its side to add a little interest.

Don't you just love the new 5972 – BJ Decorative Margin Dies? The 7" length makes them great for larger cards which I prefer to create. My cards today measure 6 1/4" x 5".

I've watched Karen Day from our Watercolor Design Team create wax seals over the last year and have finally gotten brave enough to begin trying them myself. I am in LOVE!

I have to cringe sometimes when I see enlarged versions of my coloring. My eyes aren't great and they look fine to me in person. Then I see them blown up and yikes! I maybe need to start thinking about one of those magnifiers that I've seen some crafters use.

This bee stamp seal was my first one and was gifted to me from Diane Mason.

I hope I've inspired you to try making a card with some movement on it. It can be a shaker, sliders, wobble, wiggle etc. There are so many possibilities. You might just win a free stamp set.